Starter Athletic Apparel

The World of Starter Athletic Apparel

The Starter brand was founded in 1971 and its prices appealed to the working man. Over the next 10 years licensed apparel from Major league Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and National Football League began to appear. In 1999 Official Starter Properties and Official Starter LLC acquired the assets of the bankrupt Starter Corp. This means that the company name of Starter was originally bankrupt at the time.  Another company of that same name but from a different venture bought the company and continued to operate it under that same name. Then there are some other important pieces of information that follow the timeline that are crucial to understand the brand that we know as Starter today.

Sportswear giant Nike bought the parent company of the Starter athletic apparel brands for around $43 million. It acquired 100% of the equity shares of Official Starter LLC and Official Starter Properties LLC.

The entities are the owners and licensors of the Starter, Team Starter and Asphalt brand names as well as master licensee of the Shaq and Duncan brands, a line of athletic apparel, footwear and accessories.

The business is operated by Exeter Brands Group LLC, which was creating as an operating unit of Nike. In November 2005, 37 year old Lisa Kemp was named as president of its Exeter Brands Group and succeeds Mary Gleeson who was of Exeter in August 2004 when Nike formed the company after the purchase. Mary felt the time was right for her to return to developing new brand opportunities.

The starter brand of sneaker has been selling in Walmart since 2000. Walmart's sneakers sell for around $20 but in March 2005 Exeter launched a new line of Starter performance footwear featuring the mechanically engineered Starter O-Flex cushioning system. The footwear line, with retail prices under $40, is endorsed by legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre. The line is available in more than 400 Walmart locations across the country. These prices are far below the $110 for top of the line Nike Shoe but nearly twice the cost of sneakers in the nest aisle at Walmart.

Starter Athletic apparel is more than just shoes of course, the wide range of T shirts and jackets is astounding. All sizes, from babies to children to adults there is something for everyone. Officially licensed T Shirts can be purchased on the net as well. T shirts for you team are readily available at great prices. You can also purchase starter sweatshirts in a variety of colors and styles. All types of Starter Athletic Apparel are available in stores around the world and on the net. There are some great buys to be had on eBay as well.